Colombia’s Constitutional Court has announced that it is suspending a deal to provide US troops with increased access to the nation’s military bases as part of “anti-drug” operations, insisting that such a deal could not be done unilaterally by the president.
Instead, President Juan Manuel Santos must seek congressional approval for the deal, and even then the court will almost certainly be challenged on the constitutionality of the deal. The court declined to even consider that aspect yet, insisting that it couldn’t do so until the deal was legally made in the first place.
The deal was reached last year by then-President Uribe, and gave the US not only increased access, but gave US troops blanket immunity from criminal prosecution in Colombia.The deal was harshly criticized by Colombia’s neighbors as giving the US an unacceptable foothold in South America.
Particularly irked was Venezuela, which has been increasingly at odds with Colombia over Marxist rebels along their mutual border. The deal means that any war between the two nations would inevitably draw the US in.
Yanks Go Home and stop dropping Agent Orange on Colombian peasants !
The president can't unilaterally decide to invent new rules as he pleases in Colombia? They could teach Venezuela and the US something.
Now that the Uribe Tool is gone, Colombia has the opportunity to restore its independence. The new administration has also re-established relations with Venezuela.
The question is, what form of revenge will the lunatic US Government take in response?
The revenge will be that they are sending 46 ships and 7000 troops to Costa Rica. 'There goes the neighborhood' , shall we say. the "troops" will turn that place into a war zone for druglords (ala Mexico) within 6 months. If I were an expat down there, I would be looking for a new land. I feel sorry for all those peaceful 'ticas'. They got a US puppet that got appointed by the US like Calderon, better send her packin!